14.34.56 1500 free, Grant Hackett, in Japan, 2001!
14.26.62 1650 free, Chris Thompson, in the US of A, 2001!
I know who Hackett is, Thompson is only vaguely familiar. Fact is, their records are nearly a decade old. Does anyone else find this as impressive and striking as I do? Did Hackett set such an out-of-reach record that more swimmers are cowed rather than motivated to break it? Or have male swimmers just collectively lost a lot of interest in the mile? All of the other men's records are newborns. In fact, Phelps's 400 IM from Beijing is the second-oldest, and it's still not even two years old (it survived the climax of the suits, though, so that's impressive).
Parents
Former Member
At both Beijing and Rome it took very strong prelims swims to make finals. I think the fatigue of swimming this event all out twice has made it very difficult to break the WR.
I too think that was a big factor for record not being broken the last two years. And unlike pretty much all the other events, it was not feesible to do a minitaper to try and set record inseason so the opportunity to do it just was not there.
The 800M free swims from World Champs last year certainly indicate that there were people capable of breaking Hackets record.
Oh and the best example of how much a prelims 1500 can fatigue you was from Vendt at trials in 2008.
At both Beijing and Rome it took very strong prelims swims to make finals. I think the fatigue of swimming this event all out twice has made it very difficult to break the WR.
I too think that was a big factor for record not being broken the last two years. And unlike pretty much all the other events, it was not feesible to do a minitaper to try and set record inseason so the opportunity to do it just was not there.
The 800M free swims from World Champs last year certainly indicate that there were people capable of breaking Hackets record.
Oh and the best example of how much a prelims 1500 can fatigue you was from Vendt at trials in 2008.
